Allison Koh
Centre for Artificial Intelligence in Government at
Peace Research Institute Frankfurt — October 11, 2024
Diaspora Dissent and Digital Transnational Repression
di•as•po•ra
/daɪˈæspərə/ noun
“[A] social collectivity that exists across state borders that has succeeded over time to (1) sustain a collective national, cultural, or religious identity through a sense of internal cohesion and sustained ties with a real or imagined homeland and (2) display an ability to address the collective interests of members of the social collectivity through a developed internal organizational framework and transnational links”
At Home
Abroad
“Horizontal” networks at home 🏡
(Brinkerhoff 2009; Alonso and Oiarzabal 2010; Bernal 2020)
“Vertical” networks abroad 🌏
(Keck and Sikkink 1999; Michaelsen 2018; Esberg and Siegel 2020)
At Home
Abroad
“Horizontal” networks at home 🏡
(Brinkerhoff 2009; Alonso and Oiarzabal 2010; Bernal 2020)
“Vertical” networks abroad 🌏
(Keck and Sikkink 1999; Michaelsen 2018; Esberg and Siegel 2020)
Digital Transnational Repression (DTR)
The use of digital tools to intimidate, threaten, and silence regime critics in diaspora communities
Political Control on Foreign Platforms
Implications for State Strategy
… foreign platforms are becoming increasingly accommodating to adversarial political actors.
Covert and targeted
Overt and targeted
Covert and indiscriminate
Overt and indiscriminate
| Regulatory Environment for Digital Authoritarianism | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mobilization Capacity | Restrictive | Permissive |
| High | Covert / Targeted | Overt / Targeted |
| Low | Covert / Indiscriminate | Overt / Indiscriminate |
a.w.koh@bham.ac.uk
https://allisonkoh.github.io/
🦋 @allisonwkoh